Great job by the Pacers upsetting the Knicks at Madison Square Garden in Game 7 of their series. That puts the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals against Boston.

Game 1 is Tuesday in Boston. It's a bad spot for Indiana. Very bad.

The Celtics are 41-6 at home. They've been idle since Wednesday. The Pacers will be in action for the eighth time in 15 days. They haven't had enough time to recover from getting past the Knicks.

Boston is the superior team and has a strong situational edge. It's enough for the Celtics to cover a double-digit spread.

The Celtics are 8-2 in the playoffs disposing of the Heat and Cavaliers in five games each. Boston won seven of those eight games by double-digits.

The Pacers are 2-5 SU, 3-4 ATS on the road in the playoffs. They got through two severely banged-up opponents, the Knicks, and Bucks without Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Indiana had the top offense in the league during the regular season. However, the Pacers ranked 27th defensively. Offense doesn't win conference titles. Defense does.